submitted by Albert Gomez

This Feb. 5, 2013, photo,shows a home in the middle of Barnegat Bay, that was washed into the Bay from Mantoloking N.J. during Superstorm Sandy. States hit hard by Sandy are gearing up to remove tons of debris from waterways, including houses, vehicles, sunken boats, furniture, pieces of piers, decks and bulkheads _ all of which must be removed before the summer swimming and boating season. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Hidden damage from Sandy lurks underwater as areas dependent on tourism brace for cleanup

Associated Press - by Wayne Parry - February 17, 2013

MANTOLOKING, N.J. (AP) -- On the surface, things look calm and placid. Just beneath the waterline, however, it's a different story.

Cars and sunken boats. Patio furniture. Pieces of docks. Entire houses. A grandfather clock, deposited in a marsh a mile from solid land. Hot tubs. Tons of sand. All displaced by Superstorm Sandy.

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ready.gov

An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness

Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness (IS-22) is FEMA’s most comprehensive source on individual, family and community preparedness.  The guide has been revised, updated and enhanced in August 2004 to provide the public with the most current and up-to-date disaster preparedness information available.

Hurricane Sandy - NOAA Water Level and Meteorological Data Report (62 page .PDF report)

tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov - January 24, 2013

Overview

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) maintains a network of oceanographic and meteorological stations along the United States coastlines and Great Lakes to monitor water levels, winds (speed, direction and gusts), barometric pressure, and air/water temperature. This report documents the elevated water levels, high winds and reduced barometric pressures recorded at stations along the East Coast of the U.S. from Florida to Maine during Hurricane Sandy.

Dear Members/Partners:

As you may have heard, FEMA has released its Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE) information to help communities plan for and reduce the risk from future flooding. FEMA Region II (covering NY, NJ, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) has initiated a coastal flood study to update Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS) for parts of NY and NJ.  The websitewww.region2coastal.com, which hosts a wide array of information, will be updated as the Region II coastal flood study continues.

This information is crucial to those who need to rebuild after Sandy so they can build stronger and safer. It is important for property and business owners to work with their local officials to fully understand any requirements for using ABFEs and/or determining mandatory elevations in rebuilding.  On the Sandy ABFE page www.region2coastal.com/sandy/abfe, you can view interactive ABFE maps, watch video tutorials, and access guides and toolkits.  Here is a sample of some of the information available. 

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY - (CLICK HERE FOR UPDATES)

Press Release from the United States Environmental Protection Agency - February 4, 2013

Improving housing quality can dramatically affect the health of residents

WASHINGTON – Several federal agencies today unveiled Advancing Healthy Housing – A Strategy for Action. White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair Nancy Sutley, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Shaun Donovan, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D., and Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman discussed the new plan during an event at the National Building Museum this morning.

The initiative represents a bold new vision for addressing the nation’s health and economic burdens caused by preventable hazards associated with the home. The Strategy for Action encourages federal agencies to take preemptive actions that will help reduce the number of American homes with health and safety hazards.

CLICK HERE to watch LIVE coverage as The Weather Channel tracks winter storm Nemo.

David McCue stands near the roof of his beach house, which was completely demolished by Superstorm Sandy, in Ortley Beach, New Jersey, on Sunday, November 25.

cnn.com - by Matt Smith - January 28, 2013

(CNN) -- The Senate approved more than $50 billion in aid to states battered by Superstorm Sandy on Monday, four weeks after a delay that sparked bipartisan fury from Northeastern lawmakers.

The money includes grant funding for owners of homes and businesses, as well as funding for public improvement projects on the electrical grid, hospitals and transit systems to prevent damage from future storms. In a statement from the White House, President Barack Obama said he would sign the measure "as soon as it hits my desk."

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Video: David Lee Miller reports from Staten Island

Submitted by Samuel Bendett

news.yahoo.com - January 25th, 2013 - Perry Chiaramonte

The brutal cold snap affecting much of the country is taking a devastating toll on victims of superstorm Sandy, many of whom are camped out in tent cities or living in homes without power, heat or running water.

Those unable to get proper lodging have hunkered down in their homes without the basic necessities of heat, electricity, or running water.

“Many families in Union Beach are using space heaters to warm upstairs,” said Jeanette Van Houten, a resident from the small New Jersey town that was among the hardest-hit communities. “There’s people with no heat, no electric, but they are staying in the house because it’s better than having to deal with FEMA and having to leave hotels every two weeks.

submitted by Melissa Berman

cbsnews.com - by Mark Strassmann - November 9, 2012

The FEMA shelter camp in Oceanport, New Jersey looks like a mini-city. The 40 acres of emergency housing is located in the parking lot of a race track. It's part of the agency's response, along with mobile homes on the way now to areas devastated by Sandy.

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Damage in the Rockaway neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., where the historic boardwalk was washed away during Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 31, 2012. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

propublica.org - by Theodoric Meyer - January 18, 2013

When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Congress passed two relief bills almost unanimously. But when it comes to Hurricane Sandy, some in Congress seem to have had a change of heart.

In total, 58 representatives voted against bills this month similar to ones that they had supported after Katrina.

Here's a breakdown of how each of them voted on the two Katrina bills and the two Sandy ones:

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2012, file photo, a man walks with his dog to a National Guard vehicle after leaving his flooded home at the Metropolitan Trailer Park in Moonachie, N.J., in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The storm drove New York and New Jersey residents from their homes, destroyed belongings and forced them to find shelter for themselves - and for their pets, said owners, who recounted tales of a dog swimming through flooded streets and extra food left behind for a tarantula no one was willing to take in. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)

(Also see related information - Vote on Sandy Disaster Aid and Amendments, and other articles below)

CNN - by Deirdre Walsh and Kevin Liptak - January 15, 2013

Washington (CNN) - Lawmakers in the House of Representatives approved measures Tuesday to send more than $50 billion in aid to the Northeastern states ravaged by Superstorm Sandy last fall, though some conservatives in the House were pushing for spending cuts that would offset the cost of the recovery package.

The final bill passed 241-180, with 49 Republicans voting against it. The package now heads to the Senate.

nj.gov - January 14, 2013